1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a movable fuel cell apparatus.
2. Background Art
Conventionally a fuel cell apparatus is well known, which has a fuel cell, a battery, a fuel supply, and a controller, etc, stores dump power in the battery after supplying an external load with power generated at the fuel cell, and supply external loads with power compensated by the battery when power generated at the fuel cell is lack.
In such a fuel cell apparatus, a movable fuel cell apparatus is also known, which is installed a fuel cell, a battery, a fuel supply, and various controllers as described above into a housing. Such a movable fuel cell apparatus is applicable to a power supply for civil engineering work or domestic emergency because of excellent portability thereof.
A conventional movable fuel cell apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-310166, wherein the movable fuel cell comprises a fuel cylinder 1, a fuel modification device 2 which modifies methanol aqueous solution ejected from the fuel cylinder to a gas containing hydrogen, a fuel cell 3 which generates electric power by electrochemical reaction using hydrogen basis gas as fuel, and a housing 5 containing these components, as shown in FIG. 3. The fuel cylinder 1 is removable installed therein and connected to the fuel modification device 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a control device.
On the other hand, another movable hybrid fuel cell apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-171842, which comprises hydrogen gas cylinders 1, a fuel cell 3, a control device 4, a housing 5, batteries 6 and a housing cover 7, in which space in the housing 5 is divided into regions A, B, C and D, the region A positioned in the left hand of the space contains the hydrogen gas cylinders 1, the region B positioned in the upper right upper hand of the space contains the fuel cell 3 which generates electric power by electrochemical reaction using hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas cylinders 1 as fuel, the region C positioned in the right middle hand of the space contains the batteries 6, the region D positioned in the lower right hand of the space contains the control device 4, and the housing cover 7 is attached to the housing 5 for covering the upper opening of the housing 5.
However, in the conventional movable fuel cell apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-310166, the fuel cylinder 1 must be installed in and removed from the housing with effort and is uneasy to handle because the fuel cylinder 1 is installed by being laid down. In addition, it is disadvantageous with regard to safe because the fuel cylinder 1 is connected to the fuel modification device, which carries out modification reaction at a high temperature, in close contact.
On the other hand, in the movable hybrid fuel cell apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-171842, since the hydrogen gas cylinders 1 are stood and placed in the region A at the right hand of the housing 5, they must be taken out and put therein to be installed in and removed therefrom after upwardly opening the housing cover 7. Therefore, it takes the trouble and has lower handling efficiency. Furthermore, it is not safe because the region A is connected to the region B through upper opening even when the housing cover 7 is closed. To avoid lower safety due to possible hydrogen gas leakage, an exhaust fan 8 is provided at an upper part of the region A to exhaust flammable gas out of the housing 5.